I love to meet inspiring women. I'm not talking about the well-known and much-talked-about -in-the-press women, though they are wonderful and will always offer inspiration to women for years to come. While I have to say that I have been motivated to make positive changes in my own life by the likes of such diverse successful women as Hilary Clinton, Maya Angelou, J.K. Rowling, Carla Bruni Sarkozy and Mavis Leno, I also gain inspiration from women who are not in the press. One such woman is Debbie Gore, a fellow writer and motivational speaker, who founded Recipe for Life.
Dynamic and full of life, Debbie Gore went from being a member of the corporate world in two different capacities to becoming a motivational speaker with her own Recipe for Life. Her road to becoming a motivational speaker included 25 years of corporate experience.
A former fashion buyer who survived two economy-related layoffs, she found a new career by doing a favor for a friend who had a start-up gourmet food store. She became the buyer for the store on a volunteer basis. She also found herself talking to customers about food.
"At the time, I did not recognize all the signs that were going to lead me down a new path. Speaking to customers about food inspired me. For once, work felt like play," says Debbie. Debbie decided to take the plunge and start her own business, She self-published her first cookbook, all while teaching culinary classes to earn additional revenue. Offering cooking demonstrations and speaking about food to clubs and groups got her press coverage while positive word-of-mouth helped her to expand her business.
Her corporate skills helped. She sent out press kits about her new venture and followed them up with phone calls. Debbie was her own press agent. What started as recreational culinary instruction lead to public speaking and companies began to ask her to teach their employees about healthier eating. Today her program, Recipe for Life, is no longer just about food. Debbie teaches that life is like a recipe; you should only choose ingredients you like and eliminate those that don't blend to create your optimum life recipe. Choose only what is good for you.
Debbie thought her career path was set until something came along to change her mind. She knew she had talents that hadn't fully been used which would help her in her new career. When opportunity presented itself she was able to take advantage of it and go for something new and satisfying.
There are two keys to creating the successful life that you want: the spark of a dream and an innate ability coupled with a fierce, no nonsense determination to make that dream come true.
You might want to add one more key to help open the door to living successfully -- a willingness to reinvent yourself and your life if necessary. Going forward with a new career choice is sometimes a very necessary part of a successful life.
Inspiring women realize this and make positive changes that help them on the way to living a successful life.
What happens if the career path you've taken and enjoyed hits a dead-end? Debbie Gore had her original career stall not once, but twice, and made an executive decision that enabled her to become her own boss.
Fulfilling your dreams may mean you need to change direction. A change of your life path is a start. Don't be afraid to make a positive change.
© 2012 copyright Kristen Houghton
Kristen Houghton is the author of the hilarious new book, No Woman Diets Alone - There's Always a Man Behind Her Eating a Doughnut in the top 10 hot new releases at Amazon available now on Kindle, Nook, and all e-book venues.
Her self-help book "And Then I'll Be Happy! Stop Sabotaging Your Happiness and Put Your Own Life First" is ranked in the top 100 books by Tower Books.com
You may email her at kch@kristenhoughton.com.